The Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled to replace Mike Hilton ever since he left in free agency back in 2021 for the Cincinnati Bengals. To this day, it remains a debate on why the team didn't bring him back, especially for his cheap four-year, $24 million deal with an AFC North rival. Arthur Maulet took over the slot cornerback position for the black and gold after Hilton's departure. Over the last two years, Maulet appeared in 33 games for Pittsburgh.
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The Steelers lost their most well-experienced slot cornerback in Arthur Maulet, who remains in the open market currently in 2023.
Those appearances came with mixed results, as he notably struggled in coverage. A few weeks ago, the team released Maulet per his request. That left the slot position a bit up in the air, and that remains the case even after selecting two cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft. On Tuesday, secondary coach Grady Brown cited three names that will compete for the job this summer and into the fall.
"In no particular order, you have Eli [Riley], [Chandon] Sully (Sullivan), and then you have Duke [Dawson]. There are other guys that can play the position. But just from a baseline, those are the three guys that I'm excited to see compete at that spot this year," Brown said on Tuesday via Steelers.com.
Chandon Sullivan is the presumed favorite, given the fact that he has started 31 games in his five-year NFL career. That's more experience than the other two that he will be competing with, although he has struggled in coverage as well. Heading into the summer, Elijah Riley is the longest-tenured Steeler of this trio. He spent the 2022 campaign going back and forth between the active roster and practice squad several times.
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Defensive back Elijah Riley played safety for the Steelers in 2022. It appears he could play in the slot in 2023 and beyond.
The defensive back appeared in four games, helping out on special teams for 25 snaps. Riley is mostly known as a safety, as he played 20 snaps there in 2022. Duke Dawson is a guy that has underwent a lot of injuries in his career, as he's appeared in just 26 total NFL games. All of those appearances, which included four starts, came with the Denver Broncos back in the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
In fact, a second-rounder via the New England Patriots in the 2018 NFL Draft, he never appeared in a game for them. The Steelers signed him to the practice squad back in October before bringing him back on a reserve/future contract in January. Now presumably fully healthy, he'll get a shot to make a name for himself again. Perhaps most interestingly, Brown didn't mention veteran Patrick Peterson's name.
The team has been transparent ever since they signed the eight-time Pro Bowler, as they plan in using him in a variety of ways. Whoever wins this job for the slot corner position may not end up getting a ton of action. While Peterson may not appear as the starter in the slot, he'll likely see plenty of snaps there. Brown's comment just reiterates that the slot CB will likely be manned by a few different guys in 2023.
Emily Matthews / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin will be able to move a lot of pieces around the defense in 2023.
For a secondary that has several versatile guys, it makes plenty of sense. The defense has added a ton of talent this offseason, which should allow defensive coordinator Teryl Austin to throw out plenty of different looks. Still, while the team has several different options for this position, it seems like the biggest weakness on the roster at the moment.
Who do you think will end up winning the slot CB battle? How much do you expect Patrick Peterson to appear in the slot? Do you think this will be the biggest weakness on the squad in 2023? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, as well as on our social media sites, yinz!
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